Submission + - Android Malware increased nearly 600% in Q3 (zdnet.com)
EliSowash writes: "Trend Micro has released their third quarter roundup report, and the attention-grabbing statistic seems to be the sudden leap in mobile malware.
Specifically, Trend Micro said that malware targeting Android increased nearly sixfold in Q3 2012 to approximately 175,000 malicious and "potentially dangerous" high-risk Android apps between July and September. The bulk of that was found to be adware, which Trend Micro lamented that people think of adware as typically "non-threatening."
A fine line exists between collecting data for simple advertising use and violating one's privacy. Because adware normally collect user information for legitimate purposes, they can serve as an effective means to gather more data than some would want to give out."
Specifically, Trend Micro said that malware targeting Android increased nearly sixfold in Q3 2012 to approximately 175,000 malicious and "potentially dangerous" high-risk Android apps between July and September. The bulk of that was found to be adware, which Trend Micro lamented that people think of adware as typically "non-threatening."
A fine line exists between collecting data for simple advertising use and violating one's privacy. Because adware normally collect user information for legitimate purposes, they can serve as an effective means to gather more data than some would want to give out."